I won’t testify against Bennett: Ex-soldier

MUTARE – A former soldier who was jailed for possessing an arms cache, was released on Thursday and vowed not to be a state witness in the trial of MDC Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate Roy Bennett in October.
State prosecutors say Peter Michael Hitschmann is the key witness in the trial of Bennett, facing charges of attempting to commit acts of sabotage, banditry, insurgency and terrorism.

Bennett’s trial will kick-off on October 13 this year. He faces life in jail if convicted. Bennett dismisses the charges as politically motivated. But Hitschmann, a soldier in the former white government of Rhodesia – Zimbabwe’s name before independence in 1980 – told journalists in this eastern border city he would not be a state witness in Bennett’s case. He said Bennett had nothing to do with the arms cache that was found in his possession.

Hitschmann was initially charged with attempting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe and key ZANU PF politicians in Manicaland but the charges were thrown out due to lack of evidence. He was then convicted on lesser charges of possessing arms without a licence. He was sentenced to four years in jail but served three years and three months.

“I was surprised to hear that I was a state witness (in Bennett’s case),” Hitschmann said. “I am certainly not going to be a state witness. I find it surprising. Bennett has nothing to do with it.” Hitschmann added: “He has not been to my premise and there is no link between Bennett and the fire arms.” He said he was forced to incriminate Bennett during torture by security agents.

“On the night of March 6, 2006, we were taken to Adams Barracks were we were tortured and forced to make certain confessions and one of the confessions incriminated Roy,” Hitschmann said. Adams Barracks is an army camp, on the Mozambican border. “According to that confession Roy and I were plotting sabotage specifically of radio and communication equipment in the area of Bromley, somewhere outside Harare.”

He said some of the forced confessions were that he was plotting to assassinate Mugabe as he celebrated his birthday bash in Mutare. Hitschmann said he was also forced to confess that he was planning to assassinate key ZANU PF members in Mutare – Esau Mupfumi, a wealthy businessman and Enock Porusingazi, also a businessman and former MP for Chipinge South.

Charges that he wanted to assassinate Mugabe and the two ZANU PF officials from Mutare were thrown out by High Court Judge, Justice Chitakunye due to lack of evidence. Hitschmann said he was disappointed he had completed his sentence while his appeal against conviction and sentence was still pending at the Supreme Court.

He said this was an indication that the justice delivery system in Zimbabwe was skewed. Hitschmann said prison conditions were appalling and during his 40 months’ stay in prison he saw close to 50 people die. “The conditions can be described as a death camp,” he said. “In my life I have been in many difficult situations but I have never seen humans die in conditions worse than animals.” He said he survived the harsh conditions because of the support he got from his family and friends. – ZimOnline